~ politics for the people

It is too late for This Writer to get a submission in on this consultation.

(Is such a short time period even legal?)

If anybody reading this is able to do so, in support of the Sum of Us points listed in Sue Jones’s article (link below), please do so.

We always knew that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal would be back in some form. It seems we didn’t realise how low the Tories would stoop to achieve it.

A Commons Select Committee launched a public inquiry on 2 February. The International Trade Committee invited the public to send their views regarding the upcoming UK-US trade deal. The Committee will use those ideas to form recommendations for the government’s approach to the deal.

However, in addition to the fact that the inquiry wasn’t widely publicised, the time scale given for responding is less than a month. The deadline for written submissions is (unbelievably) Monday 27 February 2017.

The Conservatives wholly endorsed the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which would have enshrined the rights of corporations under International Law, and restrict future governments in overturning the changes through the threat of expensive legal action. These are the largest trade agreements in history, and yet they are NOT open for review, debate or amendment by Parliaments or the public.

The agreements would have shifted the balance of power between corporations and the state – effectively creating a corporatocracy. It would have NO democratic foundation or restraint whatsoever. The main thrust of the agreement was that corporations will be able to actively exploit their increased rights through the TPP and TTIP to extend the interests of the corporation, which is mostly to maximise their profits.

Human rights and public interests certainly would not have been a government priority.

Interested organisations or individuals are invited to submit written evidence to the Committee. (Quickly.)